Put Your Feet in the Dirt, Girl

The bestselling author of Going Under recounts her real-life journey from hard-partying Sydney medical intern to dust-covered rural GP.

'Sonia Henry writes with a combination of heart and precision that only the best writers, and doctors, can manage.' Nick Earls

Solo GP needed for medical clinic, mining town in Pilbara region, Western Australia. Car and accommodation provided. On call paid extra. Close proximity to absolutely nothing.

In 2020, lost and heartbroken, and with an unscratched travel itch thanks to international border closures, Sonia Henry accepted a job as a GP in remotest Western Australia. The plan was to stay for one month. But before she knew it, this dressed-to-the-nines Sydney party girl was becoming an Akubra-wearing bush doctor covered in red dust--and loving every minute of it.

Sonia spent the next two years working in some of the remotest parts of the country. She learned how to shoot in the middle of the desert, visited pearl farms and pubs, came to terms with being regularly outnumbered by crocodiles, and adopted a cattle dog called Buddy, who would come to be her closest companion. She also met an eclectic bunch of patients and friends, and opened her eyes to the truths--both good and bad--of the country she calls home.

Put Your Feet in the Dirt, Girl is a modern outback medical memoir full of heart, energy, rage and wonder. It is a must-read for anyone who has ever had to get lost in order to be found.

'As a doctor, Sonia Henry has been there, done that.' Herald Sun

About the Author

Sonia Henry is a doctor and a writer. She has been published in The Australian, RM Williams Magazine, The Sydney Morning Herald, Kevin MD, Australian Medical Students Association Magazine, The ANZ Journal of Surgery and on a variety of other platforms. Her debut novel Going Under, a fictionalised account of her internship, was an Australian best seller. She is passionate about First Nations health and improving health equity to people who live in regional and remote parts of the country. She spends part of the year living and working as a GP in remote Australia.

When not being a doctor or writing, Sonia enjoys travelling, swimming, good jokes and Portuguese wine (its inexpensive price does not reflect the excellent taste!).